{
  "id": 3009948,
  "title": "Pool power propels Selangor to Sukma overall title",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/pool-power-propels-selangor-to-sukma-overall-title",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-24T11:53:25.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/sports/others/2026/08/1518060/pool-power-propels-selangor-sukma-overall-title"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "After a fortnight of intense inter-state competition, the Selangor Malaysia Games (Sukma) concluded on the final day, with the hosts emerging as the overall champions. Traditionally, the Selangor Federal Territories (FT), Terengganu and Sarawak have formed the Sukma big-four, and this remained the case. This year, Selangor clinched their first overall win in the under-21 biennial Games since Sarawak in 2016, accumulating an impressive haul of 101 gold, 72 silver and 71 bronze medals. FT finished in a distant second with a 51-54-52 tally, while Terengganu (42-44-36) and Sarawak (41-40-62) claimed the third and fourth positions respectively. Selangor's dominance in the swimming pool was a significant factor in their triumphant journey. The Red Giants amassed a total of 20-7-11 from swimming alone. Notably, Eliza Tan and Shannon Tan, both from Selangor, excelled in multiple events. Eliza Tan won seven gold medals, broke one national record (women's 100m freestyle, which placed her in contention for the Best Female Athlete of the Games award), and Shannon Tan secured eight gold medals, breaking several Games records. The team also excelled in artistic gymnastics (5-2-3), muay Thai (5-0-1), and made a strong comeback in cycling after previously finishing empty-handed in the sport at Sarawak 2024, winning eight gold medals - three from road cycling, one in track cycling and four in BMX - throughout the event. Apart from Eliza and Shannon, Pahang's pistol specialist Cheah Zen Hong stood out as another outstanding individual performer at the games, securing nine gold and one silver medals, surpassing his previous haul of seven gold during Sarawak 2024. With the conclusion of this edition of the Games, the focus will now shift towards the Selangor Para Sukma, which will take place from September 5-14. The next edition of Sukma and Para Sukma will be hosted by Kelantan in 2028, who have never been the host of the games since they began in 1986.",
  "summary": "AFTER two weeks of fierce inter-state competition, the Selangor Malaysia Games (Sukma) came to its conclusion yesterday with the hosts emerging the overall champions.",
  "key_points": [
    "Selangor wins overall title with 101 gold, 72 silver, 71 bronze medals",
    "Selangor's swimming dominance accounts for 20-7-11 from swimming events",
    "Eliza Tan and Shannon Tan excel in multiple events, breaking records"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}